Cross-Examination

When crossed properly, witnesses can yield plenty of useful information.

Across

1. Tuning in Ebert's retrospective about Italian actor (7)
5. Start to toke up with prog-rock band in southern city (6)
8. Dash drops out of scholarly life to make preserves in Canada (8)
10. $501 stocking confused Remo (6, hyph.)
12. Chip, perhaps, consumed around noon (4)
14. Drags out vegetable containers containing head of lettuce (5)
15. Links South America with USA mega-corporation (7)
17. Some cookouts lacking above-average root beer brand (5)
19. Retracted two points on where to find a stud (4)
20. Leopard, e.g., caught in pit, say (5)
22. Hawaiian city is like Omaha, sometimes (4)
24. Craven dogs eating, primarily, sheep (4)
25. Playwright completing husband's turn (5)
26. Friends give a high-five on the flip side (4)
29. Comforter of the Belgian ex-soldier (5)
32. Does another filming of winter Olympian turning around, receiving first place in event (7)
35. Start to put valuable minerals in holes (5)
36. Expression of approval from a bunch of guys (4)
37. Newest blended lattes (6)
38. Partner with coarse, sawed-off amputee (6, 2 wds.)
39. Holy man sits on steps (7)

Down

1. Something you blow agricultural seed into, live (7)
2. Prominent men apprehend job opening's gone south (6)
3. Devices for extracting seeds from alcoholic drinks (4)
4. Take every other part of middleman's proposals (5)
5. Hungriest of us eating vegetable protein (4)
6. Pie crust behind pie filling (5)
7. Start returning exam after you commenced late (6)
9. Artistic movement amid sad plays (7)
11. Doesn't disagree with Mr. Gore over some temperatures (6)
13. Silver and gold at a Greek marketplace (5)
16. Only Penny repaired shoes (5)
18. Grits I stirred around river near Iraq (6)
21. The prof's assistant is a sorority member (5)
23. Promise was the best in rating--excellent (6)
27. Testers reconstructed thoroughfares (7)
28. Clever person covering cool Devo song (6, 2 wds.)
30. Trapped by zero-degree weather (5)
31. Destroys saline drips? (5)
33. Look up "fortress" (4)
34. Speaker's uncovered stand (4)

Witnesses

Ailment doctor describes is somewhere in Arizona
Jazz great's equal flaunting arrangement of top tune (2 wds.)
Most flaky, nonsensical utterances will include falsehoods
Oblique line from book on top shelf, about Seth's mother (2 wds.)
That woman's catching fish for political henchmen
James quit eating ingredients used in Tex-Mex flavoring